


He Left His Jacket in the Gym

by the_queenregent



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Developing Relationship, Fluff, M/M, guys look i'm not complete trash, there's other characters as well but their rolls are minor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2016-01-18
Packaged: 2018-05-14 17:31:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 1,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5752006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_queenregent/pseuds/the_queenregent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A little fic that takes place in a high school AU, exploring how Poe and Finn's relationship came to be. Pure fluff, just for the fun of it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Poe

**Author's Note:**

> Just to prove that I'm not completely trash, have some high school AU Stormpilot!
> 
> (I tried out a new format, with many short chapters. Hope that's okay!)

There's no way that Poe Dameron is looking at him. 

Their school's _best_ sportsman, and a senior no less, is certainly not staring at him from across the cafeteria. 

Finn leans over to Rey and nudges her side. "Hey, hey, do you see him? Right there, in the brown jacket."

She sits up a bit to look over all the heads, squinting slightly. Around a mouthful of food, she says, "Who, Dameron? Yeah, I see him."

"Is he looking at us?" The cafeteria is really hot.

"I think so?" Rey sets down her empty fry container and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. "Maybe not. He could be looking at anything over here. Why would he be looking at us?" She twists slightly to reach into her back pack, taking out her retainer case.

While she puts it back in, Finn says, almost warily, "Are you sure?" Yes, the room is definitely hot.

Across the cafeteria, Poe tilts his head ever so slightly. 

"I mean, really, he could be looking at anything." Carefully, she extracts herself from the bench. "Finn, come on, Jackass is coming this way."

She's right. Ben Solo, tall and menacing (or, at least, trying to be) is heading towards them, flanked by his two cronies. He's scowling something awful.

"Finn, come on, _let's go._ " Rey tugs at his arm, but he can't seem to take his eyes off of Poe.

"Okay, okay." He abandons the remainder of his burger and follows her out.


	2. Track

Finn starts hanging out in the stands after school while Rey is at track and field. He likes being able to get his homework done outside, in the fresh air and sun, and watching everyone practice is so interesting.

The fact that Poe Dameron is also in track is certainly, most definitely, _not_ one of the bigger reasons.

Every time he insists this, Rey always raises her eyebrows and says "Okay, sure."

He's sitting in the bleachers on Friday afternoon. The weather is perfect; the sun is shining, the sky is bright and cloudless, and he doesn't have any homework, so he can just sit and watch and enjoy the day. 

Finn waves at Rey as she comes running around the track again, but she's so focused that she doesn't see. Instead-- _why me_ \--Poe, who was standing behind Rey, on the field, sees him. It's _him _who waves back, smiling.__

__Simultaneously, his blood runs cold and his face heats up. Finn ducks behind the big book he was holding to hide his face._ _

__When he peaks over it, he sees that Poe has looked away, and that Rey has completed another lap._ _


	3. Calculus

Sixth hour Calculus is the worst class that Finn has ever had. It was the last class of the was, and incredibly difficult, not to mention the fact that Poe Dameron was in it as well.

It's so distracting to sit right behind him. He's always running his fingers through his hair, as if intentionally messing it up and using the knowledge that it drives Finn absolutely _insane._


	4. Snapchat

On Sunday, Rey sends a picture of herself at the track meet on Snapchat. She's looking absolutely delighted, with a single finger touching the track team captain's huge bicep.

Later, there's several snaps of Poe Dameron, usually of his back, covered in heart emojis. It's almost too much to handle; Finn actually has to bury his face into a pillow. There's one particularly nice one of Poe, crouched down at the starting line. 

He screenshots that one.


	5. Jacket

He leaves his jacket in the gym after school on Monday.

It was raining and stormy outside, so there was no way that anybody could practice. It was actually Rey who suggested that the people who wanted to stay go inside, so she, Poe, and about ten others stayed. The rest left.

Finn sat off to the side on a bench, since the bleachers were closed. He and Poe exchanged a small smile every time the latter ran by.

Afterwards, Rey approaches him, tired but content, as she usually is.

"I'll be right out," she calls before heading into the locker room.

Finn hefts his backpack up and gazes absentmindedly around, until he sees Poe exiting the boys' locker room. He's our of his track clothes, dressed in a black v-neck and jeans. There's a raincoat draped over his arm and a messenger bag hanging at his side.

He walks right by, engrossed in a conversation with the tall redhead who Finn has seen before; he almost always looks like somebody is holding something disgusting smelling underneath his nose.

A single bead of sweat runs down Poe's neck. Finn watches it disappear beneath the collar of his shirt--until he realizes what he's doing, and has to shakes himself a bit.

"Alright, let's go!" Rey announces her presence, startling Finn. When had she gotten there? 

It doesn't matter. She runs ahead, shouting something about getting a granola bar and leaving Finn behind in the metaphorical dust. 

He's about to leave when he sees something out of the corner of his eye.

Hanging off of the bleachers is the brown and orange school varsity jacket that Poe always wears. 

A moment of indecision; he can't just leave it there, obviously. It could get stolen. But at the same time, the rest of the school is closed down, so he can't bring it to the lost and found. Running after him isn't an option either--Poe is probably already long gone.

In the spur of the moment, Finn rushes forward and takes the jacket, bundling it up under his raincoat before hurrying out to join Rey.


	6. Smell

The jacket smells like Poe Dameron.


	7. Sun

Track meets are always so exciting; tensions between rival schools run high, giving them a charged atmosphere, and the competitors are always so into what they're doing. 

Rey is concentrated and super pumped; when Finn brings her a gatorade--the white one, her favorite, the one that she says tastes like gummy bears--she practically guzzles in down without any words. 

She takes first place in the girls' mile run; an astounding even six minutes. As soon as she can, she bolts towards Finn, wrapping her arms around him and actually picking him up.

"District-wide record!" she hollers, voice scratchy. 

Poe had been watching from a distance, but he comes over to congratulate Rey. 

"Very nice," he says shaking her hand. "District champion! Very, very nice."

"Thanks!" She's out of breath but exhilarated, cheeks flushed. 

He--Poe, that's Poe Dameron--turns to Finn and shakes his hand as well. 

"You must be Finn!" He grins. "Rey has told me all about you."

Finn's heart is beating fast, so fast, and he's surprised that no one can hear it. Or maybe they can? It's a scary thought, because he just doesn't know.

He smiles, and instead of blathering out some nonsense, manages to say, "Good things, I hope."

Poe's smile is the sun.

(Little do the three of them know that this is the beginning of something that will last a lifetime.)


	8. Keep

Finn gets so used to wearing the jacket around that one day, he realizes that he has it on--and that Poe is right there. 

"That's my jacket!" Poe exclaims, surprised. 

"Oh, yeah--" Finn tries to keep the blush from rising to his cheeks. He goes to take of the jacket, to give it back, but Poe stops him.

"Keep it," he says, not-so-subtly biting his lip. "It suits you."


	9. Love

They hang out all the time now.

It turns out that Poe isn't the just unapproachable, suave athlete that Finn thought he was. He's actually a a _huge_ nerd, with an amazing, easy laugh and eyes that look at Finn in the best of ways. 

During second semester, in the only class that the three of them have together--cooking, out of all possible classes--Finn realizes how hopeless he has become. If this isn't love, or some form of it, he doesn't know what it is.


	10. Kiss

Rey's group looses their relay during the finals. Everyone is disappointed, but it's okay.

"I wasn't planning on even doing that in the first place," she says with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Besides, it's still impressive, considering how Jessika ran it with a sprained ankle." 

She still does well enough on her mile, but has to opt out of her two other runs due to very sudden and very bad problems with shin splints. Finn helps her off to the side, and they settle down together on the turf.

A sad sigh escapes her. Finn puts his hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"I'm disappointed," Rey admits. "And in a bit of pain. But I'll live." She takes the end of her track uniform top and wipes her forehead off with it. "Finn, look, Poe's up."

Indeed he is. 

That glorious, glorious man is at the starting line, low to the ground, prepared to run. The starting pistol sounds, and the runners are off.

Finn and Rey sit together under the sun, occasionally sipping gatorade, while they watch Poe go once, twice, three times around the track. For those first laps, he's a bit behind, but both Rey and Finn know his strategy; save his energy, then steal the race at the end.

That's exactly what he does; once he passes the starting line on the fourth lap, he speeds up.

The other runners look shocked when he passes them. They too try to increase their speed, but they've already tired themselves out.

Poe takes first, with a time of six minutes and forty-two seconds. It's not his best, they both know, but still, he did it. He won. 

The win has them all in such high spirits, and it's in this high that Poe rushes towards his two friends, sitting on the turf, and kisses Finn.

There's nothing else--it's just the two of them. Poe's hands are sweaty but Finn still reaches out and takes hold of them. It's kind of awkward; Finn, sitting has his head crammed back, and Poe, kneeling, is hunched over him. 

He hears Rey laugh, joyfully, but that's not important.

Poe is important.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!  
> And if you ship Kylux, be sure to check out my other fic, This is Us, and I Love Us !


End file.
